Tore a latex seal...any way to repair?

[bamamedic]

So, clumsy oaf that I am, I managed to put a half inch tear in my wrist Zip Seal. It's right at the base of the seal, so there's no way to trim the seal back beyond the rip. I've resigned myself to getting new seals, but is there any way I can repair it so it will work for a few dives or so? I just don't want to stay out of the water for the week or two it will take me to order new Zip Seals

 

[M_Bipartitus]

Duck tape and hold your hand down

You could try to use aquaseal to add a layer of latex over and around the tear. It may not last long, but it could work for a few dives.

You may be able to pick up a normal (non-zip) seal from a local shop and glue it to the zip part of the old zip seals. I've considered taking an old set of zip seals, cutting the latex at the harder rubber zip part and gluing a normal latex seal to the old zip seal so I don't have to pay the full cost of having DUI glue the parts together. Just a thought.

 

[letterboy]

Making your own zipseal might be a good temp fix . . . are the zip seals a normal seal with a nifty $75 lunch bag closure on it?

 

[M_Bipartitus]

Actually, I'm told the idea for the Zip of a zip seal was based on a giant plastic bag for a landfill.

 

[TSandM]

Is the rip along the long axis of the seal, or parallel to the suit? I repaired a rip parallel to the suit on my Mobby's, using an inner tube seal kit, and dove the suit for another YEAR before I replaced the seals. Longitudinal rips, I haven't had any luck with, because the force is perpendicular to the axis of the rip.

 

[Cave Diver]

So, clumsy oaf that I am, I managed to put a half inch tear in my wrist Zip Seal. It's right at the base of the seal, so there's no way to trim the seal back beyond the rip. I've resigned myself to getting new seals, but is there any way I can repair it so it will work for a few dives or so? I just don't want to stay out of the water for the week or two it will take me to order new Zip Seals

Depending on how small your wrists are, you might be able to cut a cross section of innertube and use sort of as a "cuff" over the the tear.

If you order new zip seals for both wrists, you might want to keep the old one that isn't torn in your save a dive kit. Better yet, keep one of the new ones in the save a dive kit, and keep the other old one on the suit until it needs replacing.

 

[dannobee]

The professional grade of tire patch glue and prep solvents will repair it. As others have pointed out, tire patches or inner tube sections work, but generally the glue isn't the best-at least the stuff available over the counter. The professional stuff will fix it until the rest of the seal gives up the ghost. Ask someone at the local tire shop for the good stuff.

Prep the area first with sandpaper, lightly scuffing until the shine is all gone, then haul it down to the tire store and ask one of the guys in the back to help you.

 

[fppf]

A week or two???
WTH dude, I can order new seals, have them overnight shipped and be back in the water the night I receive the seals. And still pay less than for a set of replacement zip seals.

I also keep a spare set of seals "in stock" per say so I can just throw them on.

 

[bamamedic]

Is the rip along the long axis of the seal, or parallel to the suit? I repaired a rip parallel to the suit on my Mobby's, using an inner tube seal kit, and dove the suit for another YEAR before I replaced the seals. Longitudinal rips, I haven't had any luck with, because the force is perpendicular to the axis of the rip.

It's kind of a fingernail shaped tear but it's fairly parallel to the suit. I think I'll try the inner tube kit and see how that works. Thanks!

 

[bamamedic]

A week or two???
WTH dude, I can order new seals, have them overnight shipped and be back in the water the night I receive the seals. And still pay less than for a set of replacement zip seals.

I also keep a spare set of seals "in stock" per say so I can just throw them on.

Well, I'm trying to avoid paying out the nose for overnight shipping...plus, the cheapest source of Zip Seals also tends to ship fairly slowly.

It doesn't matter much now, anyhow. Looks like I'm going to be out of the water for a couple of weeks due to yet another damn sinus infection *sigh*